Midtown Lunch

39th Street btw. 5+6th has been a hot bed of activity over the past month.  Colbeh, an out of the ML price range Glatt Kosher restaurant, moved into much fancier digs across the street, there’s a new sushi restaurant open called Soi, and Szechuan Gourmet (on 39th btw. 5+6th) might have some new competition.  Lan Sheng, a new “Szechuan” restaurant, is set to open across the street from SG in the next week or two.  They are undoubtedly hoping to get some of the overflow from the always packed during lunchtime Szechuan Gourmet, and based on their menu it looks like the food could go either way…

On one hand, they have some interesting looking Sichuan style cold dishes like ox tongue and tripe in chili sauce, spicy beef tendon, sliced conch in chili sauce, and diced rabbit w/ chili sauce (!?!)  But unlike Szechuan Gourmet, who offer some of their specialties as lunch specials, Lan Sheng’s lunch specials menu is made up of the standard Americanized Chinese food.  They do, however, offer “small” versions of their main courses which are all under $10- including fatty or lean Sichuan stir fried pork, home style pork tripe, shredded beef with cumin, and ma po tofu.

Lan Sheng, 60 W. 39th Street (btw. 5+6th), 212-575-8899